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I have not watched the NBA on a regular basis since that farce of a series. I root for the Pistons and all but I just don't follow as closely as I did years ago.



Also: I was at a Pistons-Warriors game the season Detroit last won a title. One ref blatantly baited Rip Hamilton into a technical foul. Larry Brown went ballistic as did the crowd because the replay showed Rip was called for a bogus foul, didn't chew out the ref except say 'what did I do' and then get T'd up. Years later, I found out Tim Donaghy was one of the refs that game. One can argue coincide but I don't buy it.

Villanova did win an FCS title a couple years ago, so they're not that bad, but sure as heck wouldn't be anywhere near bowl-worthy competition in FBS. Also: Their stadium seats only 12,000.

Georgetown? They have the smallest D-I football stadium in the country (seats 2,500!) and football has been an afterthought there for a long while (last year was the Hoyas first season finishing above .500 in who knows how long). Also: They don't give away football scholarships as members of the Patriot League. So there's that too.

http://siriusxmsports.posterous.com/private/xprzyanoaE

I remember this going down my freshman year at Michigan. 

"I tried to call the A.D. at Michigan between 12 and 1. I had a false name. I would give him a fake name and he would call me back. I couldn’t get a hold of him because he was playing squash. The secretary said he demands that he doesn’t get interrupted unless it’s an emergency and if you want you can leave a voicemail. I left a voicemail and went to Louisville and I’m really happy I did."

Squash Martin...oy

My first game at The Big House was also my first game ever as a student: vs. Bowling Green. A nice little blowout.

Especially the intro, with Eddie Murphy driving through the streets of Detroit in a Ferrari while Bob Seger rocks out.

Quite simply put: A Michigan football Saturday without the Michigan Marching band is sacreligious. And in this case, it's purely unacceptable. The money is there and it's Labor Day weekend.

It doesn't sound like Joe Amendola knew what 1-800-REALITY is really about when he made that reference. Personally, Sandusky needs a new lawyer (not that I think it'll help him that much the way things are going).

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2011/12/jerry-sandus...

If you are interested in Michigan, you better walk the walk and not just talk the talk. Cliche, I know, but it's obviously the rule now based off this and Pharoh Brown's visit to Oregon.

Chester McGlockton was a force on the Raiders and Chiefs D-lines in the 90s and a four-time Pro Bowler. I had no clue he was an assistant at Stanford until I saw the news of his passing. Very sad and too young at 42.

But it's cool timing nontheless. Cue the conspiracy thoeries from Ohio in 3...2...1...

Fans who were at the game did not see the replay of the stomp because the stadium TV never showed it, according to my friends who went. The first time they saw it was after we ate Thanksgiving dinner and were watching the Ravens-Niners pregame. Their reaction pretty much was "yeah, that's not good."

I want to give Suh the benefit of the doubt, but Schwartz must have a heart-to-heart talk with the guy. I don't doubt Suh is a good dude, but maybe like some actors get lost in their roles or cops get too deep in their cover, perhaps Suh has blurred the line between his off and on the field personas. It sounds crazy, but it can happen. Let's not foget that Suh is no Larry Harrison or Albert Haynesworth, who I both think are not the greatest human beings in the world when compared to Suh (Harrison insulted the commish in a magazine article whereas Suh actually asked for a meeting...Haynesworth actually caused bodily harm when he stomped on a guy's head).

Leads me to one last thing: The media guys, especially the ex-NFL types, are a bunch of fricking hypocrites when it comes to Suh.

So am I an idiot too then? Must be since I rushed the field and somehow managed to get a master's degree from an Ivy League school in addition to my Michigan bachelor's.

Have a drink, calm down, get off the internets and just enjoy the game on Saturday instead of playing brother's keeper. One thing I've learned in life: You can't control everything.

Emails went around to students saying to rush the field after if we beat them because then it would clinch the Big 10 and the Rose Bowl berth for the first time since '97. We won...and we haven't beaten those guys since. That was my last year at Michigan as an undergraduate. If we win, I won't mind seeing the students rush the field (I'll be at the game but sitting in the old folks seats). It may look odd and get some raised eyebrows across the country for beating a blah Ohio team, but after 8 years of frustration it'll feel good. Let the new generation do what they will.

Detroit News says he's got a preliminary hearing set for Wednesday.

It's one thing to be upset over a relationship that eneded poorly, whether it's being cheated on or something else. But to hack someone's personal twitter account or email or whatever as revenge is crossing the line.

I was hoping someone would make a .gif out of it...this was classic.

I have the entire rant (and show, complete with commercials) on my computer and love listening to it when it's ND-MSU week. My two favorite parts are when his producer comes on and tries to get Valenti to change topics and talk about the good time he had with his dad at the game, in which Valenti tells him to shut up. The other favorite clip is about the 42-minute mark when Terry Foster just loses it and starts screaming and berating him for rooting for MSU even though the Spartans break his heart every time. Foster finally gets control of his senses and goes "Jesus Christ, now I'm acting like you!" 

First thought that popped into my head when seeing this abominations: Michigan's playing Baylor? 

I started reading Kowalski's reports and writings during my freshman year in Ann Arbor and haven't stopped since. His radio interviews on WDFN were priceless--I always looked forward to listening to those.

This is a huge loss for Lions fans and sports journalists. This guy was the textbook beat reporter and not one of those cookie-cutter guys that didn't do the work. He busted his butt to get the job done and even better: He interacted with the fans in chats, forums (yeah, the mlive.com Lions forum) and now on Twitter. A lot of national beat writers could take a page from Killer...RIP.

Bo's Friday night dinner consisted of clam chowder, salad, steak, baked potato and a couple other things that I can't remember off the top of my head (I don't have any of the Bo books in front of me). Guys also used to get a chocolate chip cookie before bedtime.

When I saw him lifting the Cup, I was ecstatic. I guess I was used to seeing Matt Hunwick in a Bruins jersey on a consistent basis before he got shipped off to Colorado during the season. If not for the trade, we'd have two Michigan men lifting Lord Stanley's Cup.

The majority raised their hands in favor of keeping Notre Dame instead of a home-and-home with a USC/Texas/big-name conference school type. I wouldn't mind a two-year break in the Notre Dame series. Michigan didn't play the Irish in my first two years in Ann Arbor (2000 and 2001) and I was OK with that. I'll leave it up to Brandon, Hoke and the athletic department to figure it out.

I personally wouldn't mind seeing a home-and-home with Maryland or Virginia so the DC alumni (like me) can get out to a game locally. I also miss the BC beatdowns of the 90s. I'd drive up to Boston for one of those.

The last question asked at the DC alumni recpetion Q & A was by a young lady who is a U.S. Army vet. She inquired as to whether Hoke would be going overseas like some other college coaches have done to support our troops. Hoke said he was actually offered a late invite by Air Force's coach to go this week, but obviously plans to come out to the East Coast for the alumni events were already made. But Hoke said he's definitely interested and planning on going overseas to support the troops. And of course, he, Brandon and the coaches thanked the lady for her service to our country and she rightfully got a round of applause.

Other questions asked that weren't in the video included that I can recall:

--Helmet stickers, which we all know by now is "no."

--Darryl Stonum's status, which was promptly shot down by Brandon and Hoke, saying they would not discuss an individual player's status on the team).

--Will wee see more games like the Alabama game in Dallas next year. I asked this and got the answer I figured Brandon would say that it's a one-off deal and they're not looking to play neutral site games, which is legit because we have the Big House and want to host as many games there as possible. I followed up with asking about "we'll have tickets right?" and he didn't bite on that, saying "tickets are always an issue" and it got a laugh.

I want to say someone asked about Maui, but don't remember the context.

Regarding Berenson's comment about the goal to win national championships. Those of us that have watched Brady Hoke's introductory presser (probably all of us) remembers his interaction with a columnist whose name I will not mention because he's an insult to journalism. But if you think about it: In football, you do have to win the conference title to have a shot at the national title. In college hockey, you don't have to win the conference championship to make it to the Frozen Four and win it all. It all depends on the system in place for the sport.

I really hope he announces tomorrow for a recruiting birthday present. And if he does announce tomorrow, maybe he can hold up this jersey (because it's the only day he can do it).

I couldn't make it a couple years ago when Rodriguez, Berenson and Beilein showed up to DC (stupid working nights with different days off). Now that I have a normal life and work schedule (i.e. not working weekend days/nights), I can look forward to this.

Here's a story with some details on Box's passing.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the Sooners...22 is too damn young.

You really cannot go wrong with what most people have said. I'm a little biased toward Troy since I am a product of that city's public education system (as is Brian of MGoBlog might I add). Despite all that's happened with Michigan, Troy's education system seems to keep steady with great teachers and schools. Also, the commute from Troy/Birmingham/Beverly Hills to Southfield is not that bad at all.

Oh yeah, Troy High is also one of the top feeder schools to Michigan (No. 3 overall in both admitted and matriculated students.) Can't beat that if you want to have future Wolverines in the family. No. 1 and 2 are the Ann Arbor high schools, Pioneer and Huron.

http://www.michigandaily.com/content/feeder-schools

I was alwasy cognizant Michigan had a good football team when I was younger  (and the Block M had a certain mystique that captivated me), but it was the 1989 season when I started to discover I bled Maize and Blue. I was in second grade that year and the week of the Michigan-Michigan State game, kids wore shirts to sport their loyalties (as did some teachers). I told my Dad one of those days that week what was going on and if he had any loyalty and he said he liked Michigan State and he DISLIKED BO because he thought he was arrogant. That did it for me--whenever I saw Bo on TV, I thought of him as the hardened grandfather type that may discipline you hard, but would love you to death. How can you hate Bo? So it was from that day forward I rooted for Michigan. 1990 was rough because my dad rubbed it in after the missed Sparty tripping penalty, but 1991 (which was the first full season I can remember watching MIchigan football) was just a blast watching Desmond Howard.

Eventually, my dad relented since my two younger brothers and I all have degrees from Ann Arbor. And I also have told me dad that if he ever met Bo, his dislike for him would probably disappear within 30 seconds.

Although I think WMATA (DC's Metro transit authority for those not familiar with the Beltway lingo) will cut service to match the reduced ridership during a shutdown. I wouldn't be surprised if I had to wait a half-hour for a train on Saturday.

This quote from Hoke last week during a news conference, which I think was overlooked by many, said it all.

"It's the same offense he ran in high school"

One would think if Denard is running an offense he's familiar with, he'd be OK. At least that's what common sense would dictate.

As long as Gov. Snyder doesn't say anything stupid or ridiculously controversial and doesn't bore the crowd to sleep (unlike that Xerox guy a few years ago from what I heard from some friends), it's a fine choice for a commencement speaker.

But just to note: Big names don't necessarily mean great speeches.

I lucked out with my commencement speaker, although he was a no-name: David E. Davis the founder of Automobile Magazine. It actually fit me since I ended up going to grad school for journalism a few months later (if only I knew the industry would be in trouble a few years later), but a lot of people were not happy with the selection since I believe Condoleezza Rice was talking at MSU. This guy, though, gave a helluva speech and even called out one particular student who wrote an angry letter to the Michigan Daily questioning the guy's credentials to speak at our commencement. What made Davis great was his life anecdotes, especially how he almost died in a race car accident at 25 and needed extensive surgery to fix his disfigured face. The guy got a standing ovation at the end. His speech's ending was great, ending it with the quote (I think he cited Robert Altman on this): "If you want God to laugh, tell him your plans."

EDIT: Davis spoke at the 2004 Spring Commencement in case anyone was wondering...

Paczki Day is one of the few things I miss about living in the Detroit area. I'm sure if I walked into a bakery in the DC area today and asked for one, I'd get some raised eyebrows and strange looks.

I only bring that up since this has a similar storyline...although this Dee Hart drama could in fact be legit (I don't have exclusive forum subscriptions so until the man comes out and says it, it's a rumor in my book). Regardless of this rumor/innuendo that's come to light tonight, we all know this negativity's affect on our fan base can be nicely summed up by this:

Sacred Heart's punter kicked a ridiculous 74-yard punt (originated from inside his team's own 10, ball landed inside Saugatuck's 20). I wonder if his field goal kicking is just as good. He also had a punt return for a touchdown and a receiving score too.

I had barely gotten about six hours sleep (get off work at 3 a.m., went to bed at about 5), when one of my ex-roommates called me up sounding completely solemn. He asked me if I heard what happened, I said no. All he said was "Bo died" and I just hopped out of bed in disbelief, exclaiming "what??!!" To me, this was like a famliy member dying. Bo meant so much to Michigan, college football and fans--he did things the right way. It was very hard going into work that night all things considering I worked as an online sports producer for one of the national MSM papers (but that ends Sunday).

God bless you, Bo!

Vick's earned 56 points for my main money league fantasy team so far...and I'm still down 15 points. The other guy had a fluke week with Fred Jackson, Stephen Jackson, Matt Schaub and Dwayne Bowe doing their thing.

Couple ways to guess the ESPN thinking here...

1: Sparty, Bucknuts and Badgers win out, and the assumption is MSU gets the tiebreaker (doesn't look likely based on BCS standings I'd think).

2: Bucknuts lose at Iowa, therefore they'll be out of the hunt and Wisconsin and Sparty win out. Thus, MSU wins the tiebreaker and heads to Pasadena.

I'm not sold about Ohio State losing at Iowa...somehow I feel Kirk Ferentz has another late-game coaching brain fart in him this season that'll cost the Hawkeyes. I'm also not sold on Sparty winning out, specifically the last game at Happy Valley. McGloin is not your typical "OMG, DEATH!!!" walk-on QB as we have seen (he fared OK in Columbus at the start until the pick-sixes).

...is likely the destination for this team unless they win at least one of the next two games (which would be nice and go a long way to shutting up the anti-RichRod factions). If they beat Wisconsin and/or Ohio State (and perhaps with some help from others), I have a feeling there may be a New Year's Day trip to Jacksonville (Gator Bowl) on the horizon.

Meanwhile, ESPN's projections both have Michigan going to the Insight Bowl (Michigan-Oklahoma from Schlabach , Michigan-Missouri from Adelson).

http://espn.go.com/college-football/bowls/projections

If they do get to the Insight Bowl, I'm definitely going to try and make it out there for the game.